Jim Dunn, a researcher and human rights expert who has been following the situation in Timor Leste since before the 1975 Indonesian invasion talks about the implications for Timor Leste and Indonesia, of the recently released report of the Truth and Friendship Commission. The Commission was set up to establish what everybody knew - Indonesian responsibility for the massacres and wanton destruction that took place in 1999 after the independence referendum. But where does it go from here?

Burke Stansbury from Washington. He has just returned from a fact finding mission to El Salvador with CISPES where he had an interesting conversation with the US Ambassador there. While the Ambassador admitted that there was political intervention on the side of the ARENA party by the US to influence the results of the last Salvadoran elections, the Ambassador claims that the US State Department has no intention of influencing upcoming elections of 2009. Burke is skeptical, and in this interview he explains why.

40 years of dictatorship of Nicaragua by the Somoza Dynasty, and invasions by the US dating back to the 1890s (William Walker who declared himself President for several years and sold the right to gather taxes to the Morgan Bank)was overthrown. The serial invasions continued through the early 1900s, when the US sent in marines (and incidentally, first used aircraft as a weapon of war) through the 1920s. Throughout the 1980s the US financed the mercenary remnant of Somoza's National Guard, the 'contras,' financed illegally by the CIA and cocaine connections. Eventually, through a near total economic blockade,Nicaragua was virtually starved into submission, until a government more to the liking of the US was elected in 1990.

LatinRadical marks this occasion with a selection of videos focusing on the Sandinista Revolution. If you cannot see the video panel below click here.

Peter Murphy of the SEARCH Foundation brings more insights into what motivates the students to demonstrate in Dili, Timor Leste, and the controversial policy decisions that seem to be coming from the Prime Minister's office. Towards the end of this interview Peter describes the efforts being made by the President and other parties and actors to maintain a sensible discourse without disrupting Timor Leste's fragile stability.

Students ... not exactly rioting, and an extraordinary police response. Now, around 40 students arrested, protesting at a general perception that the AMP government is misspending moneys, and doing deals that should be managed far better than they have been. Damien Kingsbury, Associate Professor of Political Science at Deakin University talks about the pressures Timor Leste's Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmao is under, for pushing policies that may be politically unwise.